Page 32 of Lawman’s Witness

“I can’t imagine what you’ve been going through, but now the police will have the victim’s name,” Amy Sue said.

“They have to take us seriously once they know that Jack was having an affair with the woman you saw murdered,” Liz argued.

“He still has an alibi.” She hesitated. “There’s something else. My sister is a lawyer. She thinks Jack might have killed before. You and I are now targets.” Liz paled, making her freckles stand out as she hugged herself. “I’d suggest staying away from him and being careful.”

“Just the opposite of what you plan to do,” Liz pointed out.

Amy Sue shrugged. “I have my reasons for trying to get justice so I can sleep at night. I know this is a lot to process. It won’t take much for Jack Marshall to find you—if he hasn’t already. Let me give you my cell phone number.” They exchanged numbers, both promising to call if they learned anything new.

After the woman left, Liz considered having another drink, but instead found herself standing at the front window. She kept thinking about Whitney and Jack Marshall. She felt spooked as she watched Amy Sue go to her vehicle. Moments after the woman drove away, a set of headlights flashed on and a large dark car moved slowly down the street, disappearing behind Amy Sue’s.

Hugging herself, Liz tried to shake off the feeling that the driver was following the young blonde. She let the curtain fall back in place and checked to make sure her front door was locked. Tomorrow she would have the locks changed so no one could get back in—including Robert.

She pulled out her phone to call Amy Sue and warn her when her cell rang. Robert. She hesitated. He was probably calling to check on her.

“Hey,” he said when she answered. “You all right? That was pretty creepy that woman showing up like that. So you think she was telling the truth and Jack Marshall killed Whitney?”

Liz could hear bar sounds in the background. “I’m fine, thanks.” She was going to have to get used to being on her own, she thought, wishing she hadn’t picked up his call.

“I was thinking this could work to our advantage.”

“My friend being dead?” She closed her eyes, feeling one of her headaches coming on.

“Jack Marshall. Baby, we’re sitting in the catbird’s seat.”

“I don’t know what that means, and I don’t care.”

“Listen, this man owes us. Owes you, Liz.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I just found out that my best friend was murdered. I’m tired, Robert. I’m going to get a bath and go to bed.”

“We know what Jack Marshall did. Baby, he’s got all that money, and I’m betting he’d do just about anything to keep his secret. All we have to do—”

“Blackmail? Have you lost your mind? Robert, I don’t want to hear this. Good night, and don’t call me back when you’re even drunker. I’m shutting off my phone.” She disconnected, thinking it was so like her husband to try to make money out of this tragedy. As it was, he’d never really liked Whitney to start with. Turning off her phone, she made herself another drink and took it into the bathroom.

As the tub filled, she thought about her friend. That she and Whitney had even met had been a fluke. Or fate. They’d ended up roommates after Liz had put up an ad on a bulletin board at college. She’d needed money and the freshman Whitney Clark had needed a place to live. From the moment they met, even with Whitney being so much younger, they’d become fast friends. Both being sisterless, they had longed for one.

Liz shut off the water in the tub, finished her drink and stripped down to climb in. She’d failed her little sister and now Whitney was gone forever and her murderer would go free unless someone stopped him.

Russ felt hog-tied. He needed Jack Marshall’s phone records for the week before and after the murder. He also needed to know which private planes had flown to and from Great Falls and Billings the night of the murder. Both required a warrant, which there was no chance the chief would authorize. He also really could have used a cadaver dog before any more construction was done at the subdivision where Amy Sue had seen Jack Marshall kill that woman.

He’d already called a friend who worked at the airport. “How long would it take to fly a small personal plane to Great Falls from Billings?” he asked.

“Hour and a half.”

Too much time. “How about one of these jets you say fly in and out all the time?”

“Fifty minutes. You taking a trip?” his friend asked.

“I wish.” After he hung up, he knew that had to be the way Marshall had managed it the night of the murder. Fifty minutes if the jet was waiting. He gets dropped off at the airport where he’s left his car. There would be a record of him leaving it, taking it out and returning it that night. Unless he used dealer plates and cash.

Russ felt as if he were spinning his wheels. He thought he’d figured out how Marshall could have done it. But he still couldn’t prove it.

Rubbing his neck, he knew contacting Marshall wasn’t going to get the answers he needed. He felt stymied. But he kept trying even knowing that when the chief got wind of it, he’d be gone. At least tonight he was still a detective with the Billings Police Department. Tomorrow, he might not be.

He thought of Amy Sue. He recalled the terror in her eyes that first night. He couldn’t give up.

Amy Sue shot a glance in her rearview mirror not for the first time tonight. Since leaving Liz Baker’s house, she hadn’t been able to shake off the feeling that someone was following her. It was impossible with all the traffic to tell if she was being tailed, yet the hair rose on the back of her neck as she drove. The night was dark, much like the night of the murder. It wasn’t that far to the hotel, but with the traffic, it seemed to take forever.